Shadows
by Nekobaghira
Summary: Witches, Warlocks and Werecats, a Shadowhunter AU. Malec, Sizzy, Clace, Luke and Maryse too. facing off against someone who wants their kind dead. Notes at beginning of story.
1. Chapter 1

Witch/Warlock/Shifter AU. Malec, Sizzy, Clace, Luke/Maryse. Robert and Max are dead. Jocelyn is too, writer perogative as is my mixing of family make-up. Kept some TV stuff, not using other things. City and College are vague because I didn't want to come up with names. No beta, mistakes are mine, die like men? LOL Enjoy.-

When Maryse decided to move the family she chose a city in the New England area off the coast, it was mostly a tourist city with fishing and boat tours but sported a decent sized college population. This benefited the community with a steady influx to the economy. This city was close to a ley line which fed their magic and also helped them hide their abilities. There were major cities nearby in several states for anything they would need but for the most part, they were set with the area they were in.

Maryse Lightwood opened the shop at ten every day, she could have opened earlier but family breakfast was far more important. She would close early on Sundays for family time. Her book and antique store was filled with new and old books as well as unique antiquities for the area. The back of the shop is where she kept magical items, herbs and ingredients for spells. Books for spells as well as well as information on all beings in the magical realm. The two rooms were labeled storage, the only beings allowed into the space, made appointments and were not allowed without a background check.

The death of her husband Robert and her youngest son Max made her prioritize for family first. The loss hit them hard but they were learning to cope and heal each other. They still grieved but as time went on, it was easier, never easy but at least they were learning to live with the pain.

Luke Greymark was instrumental in helping the family, he had faced his own loss and together they were good support system for each other. While Luke was hoping for the right time to officially date Maryse, he would wait until she was ready. He already had the approval of Alec and Izzy, and they meddled a little bit mostly from Isabelle's point of view but for the most part had decided they'd let them figure it out eventually. It was a matter of time and they were already flirting with each other. Her smile made his day and she was doing that more often which in turn brightened his outlook on life.

Luke took care of security for the Lightwood shop. He also worked in the local sheriff's office, it allowed him to do background checks for the shop, and it was a good cover for him and the family. He enjoyed the job too. It gave him insight into anything out of the ordinary. Whatever he could do to protect his new family, he would with all that he was worth.

Alec and Izzy worked in the shop, they had not decided what they were going to do with their lives, both of them attending the local community college, part time for Alec. Isabelle was serious about her major that she was going full time. The shop kept them close to family while they try and figure out they wanted. Alec gravitated toward writing and history, while Izzy found science and research interesting.

Alexander Gideon Lightwood would reflect on the bonds in their family. Runes were on their bodies and easily hidden by their magic. The runes helped, they used them to be healed and protected them. The added magic to their shifting giving them the extra protection to survive. They were rare, not many of their kind were left and it was important to his mother that they lived and continued on with their heritage. They had tools to use to further their skills, steles and they practiced with weapons to defend themselves, Izzy was partial to a whip while Alec liked the bow and arrow. Both Lightwoods were adept at swords and knives, Maryse would not lose anymore family member. Luke added to their ranks and while they didn't shift often, at least they could to hide themselves.

Alec thought about his family, he worried about what was left, Izzy and Max put the deflect rune on the same side of the neck as their father; Robert. His father doted on them and it was awesome. Alec was fatherly toward them as well but while his dad was hard on him, he never knew where his place in the family rested. Robert expected his eldest to be the strongest and toughest - Alec's deflect rune was on the same side of his neck as his mother; Maryse. While they chose their location on the body, the only thing that was important was that they were united as a family. He had wished it would have saved his father and brother but it didn't.

Magnus Bane, Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell moved East because the hustle and bustle of New York City was too much and they wanted a slower pace. They had found each other in their teens and became friends, then as life changed for them, they made a pack to be a family. They had moved to the New England area, opened a tourist shop that catered to clothing and nicknacks, Ragnor took care of the books while Magnus worked the shop. Catarina followed her calling by working at the local hospital. It was always her goal to help people. They weren't in direct competition with the Lightwood shop, but they did cater to the magical community. Warlock potions were in demand from time to time. They brewed shampoo, soap, and lotions. They also did an occasional spells but they kept all of these activities as private as possible. The clothing and memorabilia was a front for what they actually did for a living.

When they learned of the Lightwood shop in the city. they were amused. Ragnor wondered how long it would last but to his surprise it was still going. The tourist business sometimes came and went and people moved but not this competitor. Magnus never thought it was a bad thing to have another shop with their unique wears, which was the only similarity. Ragnor argued that they should be the only ones with those items. Magnus thought it was good for both shops. Different contacts and availabilities was his reasoning and Ragnor relented on his negative view. After a long discussion at how many different beings in their world and those needs, his old friend gave up arguing with Magnus.

It wasn't long before both shops would reference the other for things the magical community was looking for, that was specific to each shop which went a long way to smooth things over. It also helped they were not near each other as well. It piqued Magnus' curiosity. He had observed this city for sometime, even before they moved to this place. He made sure he picked the perfect place for his family. It was quiet for the most part and while there could be some loud behavior it was a close community. He was feeling the need to meet the people of the other shop, well one particular person at the shop.

It didn't hurt that Clary would often tell him there was a tall, dark, handsome man with hazel eyes at college and she had discovered that the male was at the Lightwood shop often. She was good, knew his type and she couldn't help but tell Magnus about the guy. He knew she was matchmaking and while he wouldn't let her get carried away with her plans, he entertained her ideas. It wasn't until she managed to get a picture of him and sent it to Magnus. Clary was friends with the boy's sister and somehow talked them into a selfie. Magnus took one look at the image and relented, okay, the guy was good looking and she was right, his type. He'd have to meet 'tdh', his amusing nickname for tall, dark and handsome. While Clary had told him what the male's name was, until he met him whatever Clary told him would stay between them.

Clary and Magnus had known each other for some time. She would request special order items from his business. He took the time explaining the mystical properties of the items she wanted for her art projects. The only rule, don't tell her father. The warlock didn't like Clary's father but he tolerated him, since he didn't interfere with him. Valentine had a reputation and it was growing, enough that Magnus would do a lecture or two at the request of the college. It allowed him to get a better idea or understanding of Clary's father. Ragnor paid attention as well, he was always a suspicious person and he would protect his family. While they couldn't pinpoint anything nefarious, and there was only a inkling of bad behavior toward the supernatural. They didn't have any evidence to go on. The best they could do was be aware.

Clary lived with her father Valentine Morgenstern. Her mother left then died and it was just the two of them. She was close to the Lewis' family. The Lewis family also took in a boy named Jace. Clary clearly liked him and the friendship between Clary, Simon, Becky and Jace was unbreakable.

Valentine worked at the College teaching philosophy. His daughter was in art school but took a few other classes at the College, when your father worked at the same college, tuition was more economical. Valentine wanted Clary have something to fall back on if her art career didn't take off right away.

Valentine used his university job to further his plan to force shape-shifters, witches, warlocks or any other supernatural being to become human. He viewed anything magical was evil and he believed it was magic that took Jocelyn from him. His disdain for the supernatural was so strong, he made sure to shield his daughter as best he could. He managed to use the library at the college to help him find information that would hopefully destroy any being that he deemed unfit for the world. He chose this city because of the ley lines.

Jace Herondale and Simon Lewis were best friends, the Lewis family took Jace in when his family was killed in a car accident. The family moved to this city to help Jace with his trauma over losing his parents and he was adjusting better than can be expected. Becky, Simon and Jace handled the household while their mother Elaine worked at the Court House. She was a prosecutor and some times that meant long hours. The kids took care of the house and chores.

Morgenstern's and Lewis' lived near each other, while Valentine wasn't sure about Jace's interest in Clary, he didn't forbid it either. He did seem to be a good boy and he couldn't tell if he was a being other than human, he would allow the relationship for the time being.

Valentine was working on a drug in mist form to be distributed with a spray bottle that he would be able to use to identify the supernatural beings. Once he could do that, he could identify and would destroy them. He had been working on all sorts of 'cures' in his private lab at the college. Valentine was certain he would succeed. He vowed to himself he would test the Herondale boy as soon as he could and either he would pass the test or perish. He had a couple of assistants in his quest, Victor Aldertree. Victor was also a professor with a scientific background. His heart was broken by the fact his wife was a werewolf. She killed herself when her pack was decimated. He was on board with getting rid of the supernatural because if she wasn't one of those 'things', he would still have his wife. His other assistant was named Raj, he was devoted to helping Valentine with his projects. While Raj didn't talk about why he helped with the no supernatural cause, Val suspected that Raj had been hurt and wanted his own revenge. Revenge can make beings do things they never thought they were capable of, he fostered the ideal.

Clary met Izzy and Alec in a required science class for all majors at the local college. Clary and Izzy became instant friends and while her relationship with Alec was distant, they were always cordial toward each other. After his last class Alec would leave college to work in the shop. Leaving Izzy and Clary to hang out. Alec knew it was important for his sister to have friends, she took the loss of their father and younger brother very hard. Whatever it took to help her heal was good with him. Even if the red head was nosy and annoying.

Clary's red hair and slim build made her stand out and even more so when she was walking with the long dark haired Isabelle Lightwood whose build was similar to Clary. Their friendship grew and she learned of the Lightwood shop and that the siblings worked there on a regular basis. Clary and Izzy gossiped about boys, school and the supernatural.

When it came to Alec, Clary seemed to have an unusual interest in him. Izzy finally had to ask if she was interested in her brother and to let her know that he would not be receptive to a relationship with the red head. Clary laughed and told her she was interested in Jace and pointed the blond out to her when they were in the cafeteria. That is when Izzy noticed Simon and smiled to herself. Yes, she would meet that nerdy cute boy. Still, it didn't make sense to answer so many questions about Alec. Clary finally understood why Izzy was asking so many questions and explained to her that the owner of 'Magic Emporium' would love to meet her brother. She showed her a picture of Magnus that she had in her phone. Izzy smiled, yes, Alec would like this guy.

Alec was in the Lightwood shop reading a book for his class. It was a slow day for the shop. Sometimes he shifted into his cat form and would nap in the sun, the only problem with it he would have to run to the back to shift back if a customer came in. There was a sign on the front door warning customers of cats in the shop.

When Izzy and Alec worked together at the shop, he let her run it and he would curl up somewhere to nap. She would accuse him of being lazy, and he simply winked at her and slept on. Customers would see him and some would coo at him, while others would compliment Izzy about her pet. She would laugh and tell them he was an asshole. Alec would snort his displeasure at her endearment of him, then he'd get up and walk to the back room. Most thought the black cat with unique hazel eyes to be good luck, especially those customers buying magical items.

It wasn't warm enough for him to sit in his favorite spot, so he opted to read his text book, take some notes. He had a few hours before his Mother would return and take over the shop. She liked having lunch with Luke at the Sheriff's department. He couldn't fault her for that, she was finally moving on and it was a good thing.

He heard the store bell ring, and looked up to see a man he had not seen before walking in, he closed the door and began a quick once over before deciding where he would spend time in the shop. The Asian man was well built, a little shorter than himself, he wore his hair short on the side with the rest standing up with streaks of blue. Alec noticed the guy's hair matched his opened blue shirt, his necklaces shined. He had black jeans and suspenders that hung to the side. His brown eyes were warm and they stood out due to kohl around them. He watched him move through the shop, whereas graceful and you could see he lit up any room he was in. In a word, he was gorgeous. Alec felt smitten and he didn't know who the male was but was looking forward to talking with him, that is if he bought anything. The man seemed to be browsing, Alec was feeling a little foolish, and staring was rude or so his mother would tell him. After a few minutes Alec went back to his studies.

The first thing Magnus noticed in the store was a pretty boy at the register, and it was the one Clary had told him about. He was aware that the boy was checking him out, so he let him look his fill, he would look at the books and wait till he can get a better view of pretty boy. Magnus wasn't shy, but he didn't want to be obvious either. It had been a long time since anyone caught his eye. He would take a glance at the boy, and when the dark haired male averted his gaze to something else, the warlock positioned himself near a spinning rack that had hanging trinkets, it gave him the opportunity to admire while appearing to be shopping. He was far better looking in person, the pictures Clary took didn't do him justice. She did a sketch for him and he was surprised at how well Clary could draw and he loved the sketch.

Black messy hair, the warlock would love to run his fingers through, pale white skin and hazel eyes. He could get lost in those eyes, a dark green pull over shirt making them look almost green. Magnus thought exotic, time to meet pretty boy. The warlock picked out a beaded bracelet that would go with his outfit, it had a charm on it of a cat. He walked to the register and placed the trinket on the counter.

Alec looked up from his book, and stood. Magnus noted his height, yes, he was definitely the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. Alec rung up the bracelet and waited for payment from the handsome stranger. Magnus handed him cash and then really stared into the hazel orbs, yes, this man was more than fine.

Magnus accepted the change and decided now or never. "I'm Magnus Bane," the warlock extended his hand. While he knew the boys name from Clary, he wasn't going to mention that a college friend of the Lightwood boy had already given him information about him.

Alec was stunned but his body seemed to know what to do, as he offered his hand, "I'm Alec," he paused remembering he actually had a last name. "Lightwood." The handshake lingered longer than necessary but neither seemed to mind. They finally released each other."It's my pleasure to meet you." Magnus smiled seductively at the pretty boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus visited the Lightwood shop often, mostly to shamelessly flirt with Alec. Alec didn't seem to mind the flirting. They learned quite a bit about each other, without revealing their connection to magic. To Magnus' delight, the pretty boy asked him out for coffee.

It was at the coffee shop, that Magnus made his move or at least what his intentions would be for his cat shifter, and he was his, the warlock felt it in his soul. Magnus knew this about Alexander because his magic informed him, there was no mistaking the connection. Warlocks and Witches always were better off with a familiar. Shifters magic usually added to and mixed well with beings that cast spells, and brewed potions. Magnus wanted to protect him with his magic as well. Shifters benefited from being with a magical being as well, whether that was strength or agility, the combination of magic was good for both.

Alec was mesmerized by Magnus, he had not encountered anyone like him. His entire being was comfortable and wanted more, his magic was telling him that this was the male for him. He trusted his instincts and magic. His inner cat purred every time Magnus was near him and it was all he could do to not purr when they were together. He had to keep his desire under control, he didn't want to expose his shifter family. There was something about Magnus, he knew in his soul he would be able to trust him. His senses told him, that Magnus was a warlock but they had not had a conversation about it and since he wasn't ready to talk about what he was, he wouldn't draw attention to what he knew about Magnus.

"Alexander?" Magnus wanted his pretty boy's attention. He played with his coffee cup and watched his darling feline. Alec would insist on using 'Alec' but gave up when Magnus refused and told him, that his full name was more majestic. Alec blushed and let it go, he admitted to himself at least that he liked the way Magnus said his name.

Alec looked up from his coffee that had cream in it, they had learned a lot about each other over the last couple of weeks but were still in the beginning phase of a relationship, "hmm?"

"I'd like to date you." Magnus was being blunt while pursuing this pretty creature was entertaining, and he enjoyed a good chase, it was getting old and the warlock wanted him, he wanted to start a relationship. Certainly get further than their shops and coffee outings.

Alec blushed, "I'd like that too." Alec was more than smitten with the warlock but was nervous, his father and brother were killed for what they were. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea but his shifter magic gravitated to Magnus.

"You want to date you?" Magnus smirked, he couldn't help but tease Alec.

Alec rolled his hazel eyes and smiled back."You knew what I meant."

Magnus laughed, he did know what he meant but teasing Alec was too much fun to pass up. "Let's go out on Friday night, I know of a great place for dinner."

The rest of the coffee outing which was now deemed a date was spent on the plans for the evening out. They held hands while working out the details, and both males couldn't stop the big grins on their faces.

** a few weeks go by**

College was going great for Izzy. She was now in a relationship with Simon, and her friendship with Clary was that of best friends. Isabelle's senses were not so blinded in the friendship with her to think there was not something off about Clary's dad. She knew better than to ask, it was one of those things to observe and then if you felt the threat then ask. Simon was the same way as Clary, oblivious to what Izzy deemed as a threat. She thought maybe her magic was off and that the latent witch and warlock couldn't tell or that maybe their magic was dormant.

Isabelle thought maybe Simon would be open about Valentine but he seemed to be as oblivious as Clary. She would have to keep and eye out and protect them if needed be, despite what her Mother wanted. Maryse wanted them to not get involved, the supernatural is what took Robert and Max from them. At least Jace acted as suspicious as she did, it was one of the things they bonded over but kept it to themselves. Izzy was happy that Clary had Jace. Unfortunately, Izzy thought Jace's skepticism was from the fact he was dating Clary and not that there was anything else going on.

She would tell Alec all of her conspiracy theories, while he rolled eyes and gave her a look that meant she was making things up; he told her repeatedly, he would back her no matter what. He didn't spend as much time at the college as she did. One thing he did know, their magic sometimes told them things and you shouldn't ignore it.

Alec's main priorities were his studies and working at the shop to help their mother. Then Izzy would remind him that wasn't the only things he did, there was Magnus, she meant all of her innuendos. He would then ignore her the rest of the day. He didn't totally dismiss her suspicions but he didn't follow up, wanting to keep themselves safe. He did indulge her with her theories, and if she pushed, he would help her.

Raj was Valentine's assistant and believed the same things that his professor believed. There was another assistant helping with their private project, Victor Aldertree. Victor and Raj had been working together for sometime. Raj was a lab tech and studied magic which was beneficial for Valentine's plans to work.

Victor's wife died after being attacked by a shifter, Unknown to him, his wife was a shifter but didn't acknowledge that part of her life, she ignored her magic and lost her life by not defending herself. Victor had been bitter over the loss and was convinced that if there were no shifters, and no magic that he'd have Ava in his arms. He had convinced himself that he could have cured Ava from her genetic abnormalities, if he had only known earlier. Victor's expertise was in research and development, it also helped he knew genetics and DNA.

Victor had discovered markers, some traits that indicated a shifter and was excited to share his findings with Valentine. The one thing they had in common was losing their wives to shifters, while the circumstances were different for each man, both had a shared hatred of shifters and magic.

Victor was close to finding a way to locate magical auras, trusting Raj with his background knowledge of magic gave him samples with instructions to run tests and report to him with the results. Victor went to Valentine's office to update him on their progress.

Simon and Clary were making their way toward the library, they had planned to meet up with Izzy and Jace, while the goal was to study but flirting was definitely on the table when they got there with the respective other.

"Hey!" Simon was excited to see Izzy and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Izzy smiled and patted the seat next to her for him to sit down.

Clary moved a chair closer to Jace and the four of them opened their books to study. She leaned forward to whisper "The lab TA was really weird today."

This piqued Izzy's curiosity, " what do you mean?"

"Oh, it seemed like he wasn't paying attention to our work, he sort went through the experiment lesson quickly, and then worked on something else." Clary normally doesn't pay attention to the TA, but Raj was acting weird. "I asked him for help and he gave me the answers instead of showing me what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm certain he's not suppose to do that." She paused, "I mean I don't mind that he gave me the answers but I'm guessing he's suppose to be teaching."

"TA's are students too maybe he's got a big exam or something." Jace squeezed her hand.

"True but he was acting strange toward some of the students in the lab too." Clary was taking a science class because she had to for her degree. It was part of the reason she was paying extra attention because she didn't want to repeat the class. The group moved on to different topics before settling in on their studies.

Isabelle's instincts kicked in, she would have to check out the lab. Her magic was never wrong and something odd was going on. She relied on her cat senses to help her as well. There was something fishy and it wasn't the stuff she liked to eat.

"Are you taking any class with Mr. Morgenstern this semester?" Izzy knew her brother was smart and she wanted to know if he would sense something was off or not.

"No, I'm taking Math and English this semester." Alec was making dinner for the Lightwood family. Maryse counted on him for more than the store, Luke helped out in the kitchen as well but it was Alec's turn. The ladies appreciated their cooking skills.

"Why?" Alec looked at his sister and could tell from her face, that something was bothering her.

Izzy debated on whether to tell him what she thought. "No reason."

"No reason?" Alec raised a brow, "c'mon Izzy, we've talked about this, we're here for each other no matter what. What's going on? What has you worried." Alec finished with the lasagne and placed it in the oven. He went about making salad. "Set the table." He knew she needed a minute or two before telling him what she wanted to say and making her busy would help.

"I was at the library with Jace, Simon and Clary, she said that the TA Raj was acting differently in the lab," She was done with the plates and began placing the silverware.

Alec sighed, "you complain about him all the time, you don't like the guy, it doesn't mean he's up to something."

Izzy ignored his comment, yes, she knew she didn't like Raj and something was off about him but she couldn't quite figure out exactly what the problem was with him. "Trust me on this big brother, there is something not right."

"Alright, say there is something wrong. What do you want to do about it?" Alec finished the salad prep and filled the salad bowls on the table.

"I don't know. Maybe go to Mom and Luke and see what our options are?" She shrugged, "or you can go into the lab with me and sniff around, let your magic roam and tell me what you sense." Isabelle was certain he would feel the same things she did, something wasn't normal.

"Okay, I'll go to the lab with you and look around," Alec was done with the early dinner prep. He went to the wine cabinet, he had picked out their best red and white. Unknown to the family, he wanted to introduce Magnus to them.

Izzy finally really looked at the table, "wait, why is there an extra place setting?"

Alec smiled sheepishly, "I invited my boyfriend to dinner."

"What? You have a boyfriend." She punched him in the shoulder, how could he keep important details like this from her. Izzy suspected he was in a relationship but her brother tended to keep things to himself.

He rolled his eyes and smiled, "Yes, I have a boyfriend. I want everyone to meet him."

"I'm proud of you." She had known her brother preferred men but didn't know when he would actually accept that part of himself and try to be happy. She was thrilled he was trying. She could tell he was happier and considering the stuff they've gone through, it was about time they both found some joy in life.

"Do you think Mom and Luke will be okay with it?" Alec was slightly concerned, he seldom talked about this part of his life.

"I think Mom and Luke will be happy for you. All they've ever wanted was the best for us, to be safe and to follow our hearts." Isabelle knew this deeply in her soul.

Alec let out a sigh of relief, he was ready for this change in his life. Isabelle was his rock in times when he was questioning himself. She was always there for him and if she knew it was going to be okay, then it would be okay.

Maryse and Luke entered the home and began their routine of settling in for the evening. The aroma of dinner was wafting through the home. Not too much later after their arrival, Magnus knocked on the door. Alec was happy to see him and showed him into the home. He introduced him to his family and made a point to state that he was indeed his boyfriend. Maryse and Luke hugged them both and offered cocktails while they waited for dinner, dessert and champagne.

Alec's relief was noticeable and Maryse told him, all she ever wanted for him was for him to find love and be happy. Alec reminded her, she needs to be happy too and then did a slight nod toward Luke. She smiled and told him that it was a work in progress and that they were going to try a relationship. They hugged each other tightly. The group celebrated all the changes in their lives during dinner.

Magnus couldn't remember having so much fun with a family dinner. Alec's family was charming. The cat shifter family was adorable, he told himself he'd make something imbued with magic to protect them all. He planned on necklaces for Izzy and Maryse and something for the wrist for Luke while he planned on a ring for Alec. He knew he was moving fast with Alec but he wanted his cat shifter, more than anything ever in his life. He would tell Alec that its a promise ring, he was certain that would work and he wouldn't scare him away. It would lead to another ring he was certain of it. Magnus trusted his magic and this was the one. He had lived too long and waited for what seemed to be forever for his partner, now that he had him he wasn't letting go.

Magnus was home and lounging in a chair with a martini, waiting for Ragnor and Cat to come home. He had work to do and wanted their help. If his protection spells were to be done quickly, all three would need to work together for efficiency reasons. He reminisced about dinner with the Lightwoods, they were pure of heart and were close and he liked that about them the most. It warmed his heart because it was the same feeling as being with his Ragnor and Cat. It had been so long since he allowed himself to be happy.

Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss were late coming home. Last minute customers did that to a shop occasionally and they never turned people away. Ragnor had taken on the added roll of working the shop so that Magnus could chase his shifter. If he was working late for Magnus, he told himself he would stay long enough for Cat to finish her shift and walk her home.

They entered the house and were pleased that Magnus magic-ed dinner for them. They knew based on their favorite foods on the table that Magnus was ready to tell them of his latest adventure with his feline. They worried for him, he fell in love easily and that meant when he needed healing, they could do nothing but help him through whatever drama. Their only hope was that this one wouldn't hurt him.

"Okay, whats going on?" Cat looked at the food and cocktails on the dinner table. "Spill it Magnus." She magic-ed her belongings to her room and made herself comfortable. Ragnor wasn't even going to bother with questioning Magnus, the warlock would tell him eventually.

"I've met the most amazing man, he's gorgeous, smart and he's a cat shifter. He doesn't know I know, but I can't resist him." Magnus lit up with excitement. "Our magic mixes so well." He went on about Alec for a good half hour before Ragnor had enough.

"Stop, just stop." Ragnor rolled his eyes, "Okay, its clear you are already falling for this being." He was worried about his friend, his romantic nature sometimes caused him heartbreak, and while he and Catarina would help him heal from those instances. He was hoping that this time it was different. Ragnor and Cat 'grilled' their friend until he got defensive. That was when they knew he was serious about this cat shifter.

They were wrapping up dinner with another round of drinks before Catarina made it clear, it was time to meet Alec Lightwood. If this was the one for Magnus, they wanted to met him and give their blessing.

TBC-


	3. Chapter 3

Valentine invited Raj and Victor to his house for a private meeting. His daughter was with the annoying boyfriend and Simon. There were times that they would meet at the college but when they really needed more privacy, it was far easier at his home.

Valentine didn't do formalities or pleasantries, as soon as Raj and Victor entered his home, he had them follow him to the office in his home. He would gesture to sit down because there was no time for being friends. It was time for action and answers.

"What have you found out, where is the results, and don't disappoint me." He was stern with his colleges, he felt it was the best way to deal with them.

"Good to see you too ... Val," Aldertree knew the tactic and it bristled with him a little but not enough to argue with Valentine.

"Valentine," he corrected Victor, he didn't like the nickname Val, it reminded him of Jocelyn and he couldn't be distracted by pet names of his lost love. No matter what Victor and Raj thought, he wasn't their friend. He could easily get rid of them when it suited him.

"Valentine." Aldertree stated to show respect, without further delay, "I think I can make a serum to remove the genetic markers that makes shifters, warlocks and witches what they are and make them human." He paused for a moment, "they'd lose their magic. While they could possibly do spells, they wouldn't be very effective, and shifters wouldn't be able to change forms."

"That wasn't really the goal," Valentine's hatred had only grown stronger over time and while he thought Aldertree's efforts were interesting and almost noble, he preferred extinction. They discussed the merits of not killing so many beings verses eradication, all three grew more and more fatigued with each other until Victor gave up. The fanaticism of Valentine was a mild irritant, he could still do what he wanted; to continue to argue would solve nothing. There was no way that Valentine would be able to convince him that making the supernatural beings human wasn't a good solution. He decided he'd keep that to himself.

Raj was uncomfortable with the mass killing conversation, but he could tell by the way the two men were looking at each other it would be best to say nothing. As the discussion continued with some debate before Victor conceded to Valentine, Raj decided he wouldn't give them a full report of his findings.

The conversation finally entered the phase of logistics, time frame, where to begin their tests and the final stages. Raj's report was deemed unsatisfactory and he took the verbal reprimand and promised to do better. It was getting late in the evening and Valentine wanted them out of his home before his daughter came home from her date. Valentine gave final instructions, then Raj and Victor were shown the door.

Raj and Aldertree walked in silence, they weren't sure if they could trust each other but as time went on, they both knew that Valentine was more trouble than he was worth. Aldertree stopped abruptly which caused Raj to stop as well. "What didn't you tell him?"

Raj shrugged, "its not important."

"I think it is," Victor sighed, "I can tell you don't want to kill any of these creatures, yet you are working on this project. Why or better question, what changed." Victor waited for Raj to collect his thoughts.

"I have no love for supernatural things, my brother was killed from a fight with a witch, and she had cursed him." Raj remembered watching his brother age quickly and die. "A research team on the supernatural tried to find a antidote for him or a witch to reverse the curse but by the time we did, it was too late." Raj blinked his eyes, trying to hold back his pain. "The helpful witch stayed with me to help me through everything but I was feeling bitter." Raj looked around them to calm his nerves, "one day she disappeared as did the witch who cursed my brother. I wish I could say I feel bad about it but I don't." Raj shrugged, "sometimes, I think of the nice witch and know she didn't deserve whatever happened to her."

"Ah, sympathy." Victor could relate, "careful, that could be dangerous."

"I know," Raj shrugged. "And I know about your wife, I'm sorry about what happened."

Victor shook his head in acceptance of the statement but pressed on, he didn't have time to wallow in pity either. "What didn't you tell Val?"

Raj was skeptical now, he knew he was caught but trust wasn't easy. Especially with the plans Professor Morgenstern would enact. "I had a breakthrough in the lab. I think its now possible to identify beings with a mist but unfortunately, it has an odor." Raj was happy with his results but they were far from perfect. "The problem with shifters they will notice right away."

"That might be good, a reaction would be telling." Victor thought about it, the easier to discover the supernatural beings the better.

"Yeah, but … I can't seem to hide the odor and humans would react too. I don't want to weaken the formula because of having to hide the scent." Raj knew he was close to a solution but with his own classes and teaching in a lab, he couldn't spend the time he thought he should be on the formula.

"Sounds like your close, share your tests with me, maybe I can help you find a way to make it odorless." Victor was certain there had to be a way without diluting or altering the serum too much.

Raj shook his head in agreement. "I'll get you the files at work tomorrow. Do you think we'll have to kill them all?" Raj tried to sound confident but mass killing wasn't appealing.

"All we need to do is take their powers away, and we'll be in a safer place." Victor was convinced. "We'll keep this between us, Valentine doesn't need to know."

"What if he suspects, that we are planning something different. What if he comes after us?" It was a real issue for Raj, he was finally getting his life back in order, he didn't need this type of complication.

Victor patted Raj on the shoulder, "it will be fine, we keep it close to the vest." He considered the situation more, "we still work on things as usual, give the updates, show progress as long as he sees that, we'll be fine."

"See you tomorrow." Raj shook Victor's hand, they were playing a dangerous game. They've decided to go against Valentine and it would be risky.

Victor nodded at Raj and make his way home, he was lost in thought, he might have to dispose of both Valentine and Raj. He'd think about that later, right now what was needed was the formula. He'd work out the rest when the need arose. Besides there was a beautiful dark haired cat shifter he wanted to make his pet and he would find a way to have her. If that meant taking her shifting and magic away then keeping her locked up, so be it. He was also holding out information with his work as well, he was just better at hiding that than Raj. He had a file on suspected supernatural creatures and he wasn't sharing that information with anyone.

Alec and Izzy went to College early, hoping to get to the lab before any classes started. Isabelle had already looked at the schedule for the lab room in question. Once they arrived, they were glad the room wasn't locked. They used their senses to sniff around, and they both stretched their magic out in search of anything out of the ordinary. It was similar to doing a long cat stretch to work out the the arms, legs and spine. The effect was the same too, it felt good and they got the added bonus of information from their magic.

"Izzy, this room stinks, what the hell do you do in here." Alec scrunched his nose. His magic kept roaming around while he walked around.

"It serves two purposes, mostly general science but that covers a lot of ground. Earth science, chemistry and physical science and not much but some bio." Izzy pointed to all the different cabinets with the various tools for a general science class. "It's the chemicals needed that causes the funny smell. Plus sometimes students do something dumb and the clean up is far harder than you would think." Izzy made her way to the room behind the main lab desk with a black board behind it. There were notes already for the day's lab experiments. "This is it, this is the room, we need to look inside." Isabelle was sure of it. Her magic was tingling and she was certain her brothers would be too.

Alec rolled his eyes, his sister the conspiracy theorist, acting all giddy because she thinks there is something going on. "Lets be quick Iz, we only have a half hour or so before the TA for this room shows up."

"Relax big bro, we got this." She went to open the door only to be disappointed. The door was locked. Izzy deflated, "now what? I was so sure this room we could get in, that it wouldn't be locked."

"It's a science lab, maybe they worry that someone would steal something?" Alec was trying to help but his sister wasn't having any of it.

"No, no." Izzy was frustrated. "It was suppose to be open."

Alec raised a brow, now he understood. She had gotten someone else to help her do what she wanted. "Okay, tell me. What did you do? And can you get expelled for it." He crossed his arms over his chest waiting for a reply. He didn't like pulling the big brother or fatherly demeanor with her but there were times when it was necessary.

She tilted her head to the side to stare at him with as much annoyance as possible, when she saw he wasn't going to give an inch, sheepishly she shrugged her shoulders in hopes to feign innocence. "The less you know, the better."

"Nope, not working. Tell me." Alec glared, and he was ready to drag her from the lab if he had to for her own good. She could be mad at him all she wanted, but he knew she'd get over it.

Isabelle tried a different tactic, "don't you feel it with your magic? Something is wrong here." She hoped his curiosity would be peaked. Only to be disappointed with another glare and raised eyebrow. She sighed, "okay, there is a guy in one of my other classes who is struggling with science. He's friends with Simon and I offered to help him if he would do a favor." At Alec's bored expression, she quickly went on, "its a hobby of his to pick locks, bought tools and a book to learn how, says everyone needs something fun to do when boredom kicks in."

"Still waiting Izzy, and time is running out. And your 'friend' needs a better hobby," Alec held his ground. This was a ridiculous thing and he was done with it.

"Alec, c'mon … something is wrong here." She finally was a little frustrated with her brother. "Simon trusts him and if there is nothing, I promise, I'll let it go." She gave him her best pleading eye look as she could.

"Izzy, not only can you get in trouble so can your friend, and your boyfriend." Alec was done with the nonsense. They both glanced at the clock, knowing they were out of time. They left the lab and headed toward their regular classes.

Alec's sister was brooding, something she never did. It was her joke to him. She never had a problem to point out when he was brooding, his brooding was epic. Alec couldn't take it any longer, "okay, what can we do. Clearly, this is important."

She sadly smiled at him, "I don't know, not sure what went wrong." She received a text from Simon stating that Raphael couldn't open the lab door due to being home with a cold. She relayed the information leaving out Raphael's name.

"There is this guy in my Math class, he's majoring in computer science. He has a lot of experience already with computers." Alec couldn't believe he was doing this, "what if I asked him to hack into the files you want to see." He couldn't believe it, already he was working on getting himself expelled with his sister, their Mother would kill them.

Isabelle's smile could light up the room at her brother's offer to help find another way to get the information she wanted. She waited to hear the rest of his plan. Alec hugged her tightly, "I know you wanted to use our magic and I'll admit, I noticed something odd." She looked at him with her big brother with adoration, which he fell for every time. "He likes to see how far he can go and not get caught with computer systems," He looked at Iz, "but if he says no. I expect you to accept that answer."

She hugged him tightly as they walked down the hall to their first classes of the day. "You made a friend. Wow, big bro, you are really growing. First, a boyfriend and now someone you consider a friend and trust." She was happy with her brothers change, it was much better than being a recluse.

Alec entered his math class and sat next Andrew Underhill, they had become friends at the beginning of the semester and helped each other out and would study for exams together. After class they had a couple of hours to kill and went to a coffee shop. There was a handsome Spanish barista that Andrew had his eye on, while he hadn't made his move yet but he told himself soon. "Okay, what has you so secretive and quiet today."

"I have something I need to ask you, and I will understand if you say no. In fact, no pressure what so ever." Alec continued rambling his disclaimers. He couldn't help it, Izzy made him crazy with her conspiracy stuff.

Andrew cut him off, "no, I won't take a test for you, you are smart and can pass without me. I know about your boyfriend, and you know I like Mr. Spaniard." Underhill tilted his head toward the barista to indicate the man of his affections, then glanced back at Alec, "and no, I'm not committing murder for you either." He laughed at his own joke, knowing the reaction he would get from his friend and Alec didn't disappoint, the rolled eyes said so much.

While Alec kept the reasons vague, he did ask his friend to look for anything weird in computer files for the general science labs. Andrew was surprised but he had not seen Alec so suspicious before and then he remembered in his computer lab, they were working on hacks. It would be easy for him to look around because the college was expecting the students not only read about them but show how to accomplish one. He was certain, they'd be given certain access for such a project and he knew how to use the targeted machines to search for the information. Underhill was excited, this would be fun and he could always say there was a software malfunction if he was caught.

Alec looked at his watch and grabbed his coffee, he needed to go to English. He patted Underhill on the back with a 'thanks' and then gave him a pointed look, "its not gonna happen if you don't make the effort." His gaze was on the barista, if nothing else he would push his friend to make a move. Underhill knew what he said was true but he was still feeling shy. Andrew promised to make a move soon, grateful for Alec's support.

** Later that evening.

Catarina, Ragnor and Magnus invited Alec Lightwood over for dinner. It would be the first time meeting Magnus' feline and they were looking forward to the experience. They had hoped it would have happened sooner but running a store, working at the hospital plus any other crazy thing that occurred didn't make it easy. Magnus didn't mind, it gave him more time to solidify his relationship with Alec.

Alec was one of those males who was never late and he was on time for dinner, he brought wine as a gift and waited nervously at meeting Magnus' family. Magnus kissed his cat and reassured him that he was more than welcome in his home. Alec's magic told him that too but he was still anxious.

Catarina and Ragnor knew that Alexander Lightwood was perfect for Magnus Bane. They knew the moment the two of them interacted before dinner and it grew during dinner, enough for the cat to relax. The relief they both felt with this observation in general allowed Alec to relax and he stayed the night to Magnus' delight.

The next morning, Alec went home to get ready for college or the shop, Ragnor didn't know. He waited for Magnus to have his morning tea with him and he would discuss the magical project they had been holding off until meeting the Lightwood male.

Magnus sauntered into the kitchen, he noticed a warm cup of tea waiting for him and he smiled at his old friend. He went to the breadbox for a croissant to go with the tea, then made himself comfortable. He waited for the interrogation that he knew wasn't going to happen because whether his friends accepted the view or not, they showed their like for Alec and he couldn't be more pleased.

Ragnor was reading an article on his tablet ignoring his friend but knew he was waiting for him, he put down his coffee with a thud, "okay, you win."

"I win?" Magnus smirked, "what do you mean."

"Oh pul-lease, you know what I mean. You're being a shit about it." Ragnor immediately looked at his tablet but discovered he lost his place. He thought to himself how annoying.

"You like him, its okay to admit it." Magnus sipped his tea and picked at the croissant. "Now, you'll help with the protection of the cat shifters."

Ragnor glared but there wasn't any heat, his friend was right. They could help protect them and they would because they could. "You two are disgustingly cute, I want to throw up." Ragnor snorted, "the way the two of you look at each other, kiss and dote ..." Ragnor put a finger pointing in his mouth to show he would throw up.

Magnus snorted his tea, it hurt a little but he couldn't help but laugh and cough. Once his fit was over, he cleared his throat and settled into what they should be talking about. "You'll help make the protection gifts?" He knew his friend would recognize the playful comment, they discussed long ago the protection gifts. They had not agreed upon such gifts but now the time was here and it made sense.

"Of course," Ragnor gave an annoyed smile but softened, he meant his commitment because he believed in spirit animals. "You can count on Catarina too, she will protect that cat of yours with all she's got." Ragnor had his beliefs and he would not give them up, "neither of us have found our spirit animal yet but I'm glad you've found yours." Ragnor viewed their world differently. He had a thing about spirits and animals, he would never call them familiars or any of the traditional things, he believed too deeply in the existentialism of beings and it was not limited to humans, he knew this in his bones.

"You and I both know you could have done this on your own, but you want combined magic for protection because of how much more powerful it would be. I get that." Ragnor understood. "And you my friend deserve to be happy." He got up, dumped his cup in the sink and made his way to his room to get ready for the day.

It warmed Magnus' heart to hear the words, he may not have said the words but he knew that 'Alexander was a part of their family now.' Ragnor meant those words and felt them. Ragnor knew Cat did as well. This shifter family was theirs now.


	4. Chapter 4

Underhill was excited, the lab plan worked as he intended and while he couldn't look at the files, he was able to copy them and take them with him once the lab project was done. His professors nor the IT department noticed and he felt relief for that. He took the USB flash drive disk and shoved it in his pocket. He would meet up with Alec at the coffee shop later in the day, deliver the drive and maybe today would be the day to ask the barista out.

Raphael met up with Simon and Izzy in the food court of the college for lunch, he was feeling better and apologized for not being able to do what Izzy wanted. She forgave him easily and told him to not worry about it. She passed it off as it wasn't important and he accepted her explanation. Simon was slightly taken back by her attitude, since she seemed so adamant before but he wouldn't question her now. He'd wait til they were alone. Before leaving for their respective classes, Raphael gave Izzy two small tools, he called them rakes and either would be able to open a looked door, Raphael demonstrated how to use them. Izzy had a big smile on her face, and said thanks.

Raphael warned her, "if you get caught, I didn't give you those tools or know you." He didn't care what she was up too, he didn't want to deal with it.

"Who are you again?" Isabelle teased Raphael, assured him that she wasn't doing anything that he would need to worry about. He nodded in acknowledgment and the three threw out their wrappers from their food and placed trays in the proper location before heading for the exit, they all had a class to attend.

Raj entered the lab to check on a new set of calculations, when he noticed that his computer screen looked different from how he left it. He checked the machine over in general and while he didn't see anything amiss, once he got to 'the project', the date was wrong. The files were accessed earlier in the day when he wasn't at college. He felt fear as his heart jumped in his chest, adrenaline coursed through his veins. He forced himself to relax and to go through his computer more thoroughly, then he'd decide what to do. Raj knew he couldn't tell Valentine, and he sort of hoped it was Victor since he said he'd help him with the project. Raj also knew he had not given access to Aldertree yet, it was an odd puzzle. He gave himself a pep talk and then combed through the files for anything out of the ordinary. An hour or so later, he didn't find anything. Other than the dates being wrong, everything looked the same, Raj decided to let it go. Nothing he could do about it now, but he did plan on some extra security.

Alec went to the coffee shop, got his beverage of choice and waited for Andrew. He started an assignment, fifteen minutes later Underhill sat down at the table. "Hey."

"Hey, almost done. Gonna have coffee?" Alec quickly looked up to greet his friend but put this head back down, he was close to finishing with the homework.

"Yeah, be right back," Underhill went up to the counter and his usual was waiting for him and with a smile from Mr. Spaniard. It made Andrew's day, he paid and went back to the table. He set his coffee down and then put the USB flash drive disk on the table and slide it toward Alec.

Alec took the disc and slide it into the small pocket of his book bag. "Whats on it?"

"No idea, I didn't have time to look. I copied some files, finished my lab and had other things I had to do before meeting you." Underhill smiled, "it was fun to do though." He noted the look on Alec's face, the raised brow with a sort of question that meant 'and?'. "Nobody noticed me, nor did anyone in the lab catch it." It was Andrew's turn to roll eyes.

The relief on Alec's face was clear, he was about to ask more questions when he noticed the coffee cup that Andrew had, "he got tired of waiting for you."

The comment surprised Andrew, "what are you talking about?"

Alec pointed to the coffee, "there is a name and number on the cup."

Andrew was so focused on talking to Alec he didn't notice the writing, took a closer look and smiled. He purposely looked back to the counter then winked at 'Lorenzo'.

"Okay, gotta go," he nodded at Alec, "good luck with that." Then Andrew went to the counter to properly introduce himself and give Lorenzo his name and number.

Alec got home, unpacked his things in his room. He would take his laptop, and the drive to work and see what has his sister so worked up over. He planned on calling Magnus later, tonight was date night and there was a new restaurant near the pier they wanted to try. He entered the Lightwood shop, his Mother was re-arranging one of the book shelves, they had gotten a shipment in.

"Alec, we're got some more things for storage, please take care of that for me." Maryse spared him a glance with a smile as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. She kept working and he made his way to the back. An hour went by and they were both finished.

Maryse needed to meet up with Luke, they were doing a system upgrade and he was going to show her the features today. Alec told his mother he'd be fine alone in the shop. She left and he sat on the stool behind the counter, pulled his laptop out of his canvas briefcase, he set it on the counter and searched for the drive, he quickly found it and plugged it in.

Alec was becoming bored, he didn't have the same love of science and research as his sister did, and everything looked normal. Test results from lab assignments, notes for new lab experiments, teacher requirements from the lectures. He found a subset of files under the title 'the project'. He groaned, if this was another one of those boring to do list things for the class, he was gong tell his sister she was nuts and to stop reading conspiracy books.

He had to stop looking around for information from time to time due to customers but he would simply close the laptop and set it aside, finish up with the sale then wait a few minutes before resuming his task. Isabelle owed him.

The first file few files seemed like normal science experiments with results under 'the project'. There was some calculations, with a different permutations with notes. Most of the math was an adjustment for some formula he didn't recognize, he chalked it up to something specific for scientific research. Alec wasn't bored enough yet, the math was done well and he appreciated the time it took to work out some of the changes. This student or teacher was good.

He was about to close the lap top and be done with this little adventure when he discovered near the bottom of the listing in 'the project' were a few other files that were odd in names for a science class. The files were labeled witches, warlocks, the weres file name had a parenthesis of shifters next to it. Alec clicked on the files and they opened up with far more details than expected for a simple science class. There were formulas, mathematical, and chemical equations with projected outcomes.

The results and conclusions along with other notes were also disturbing, his eyes grew wide. Alec told himself this had to be a joke, this couldn't be real. He kept looking through it more closely now, concentrating so heavily he didn't hear the shop bell ring and when a voiced called out, he closed the laptop quickly and hid it under the counter.

He composed himself and was surprised to see a bald man strolling around the shop, he seemed to be looking for something. He had a thin mustache and scruff on his chin. He wasn't as tall as Alec but what he lacked in height he made up for in build. He was stocky but not overweight, his brown eyes had a cold intensity to them. He seemed intimidating and it made Alec's hairs stand up.

Shaking off his unease, "can I help you find something?" Alec wanted this guy out of the shop as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, I would like to speak with the owner," Valentine had not been to this shop, but he heard rumors that it catered to the supernatural as did the Magnus Bane shop, which meant to him there were more of 'them'. If there were more, he might have to up his time table. He had been aware of Magnus for some time now, but he left him alone. Valentine wouldn't do anything until he had the advantage. Magnus was far more powerful, certainly more than any other warlock, or witch he had ever encountered. He would be ready for Bane and when the time was right, he would strike.

"The owner isn't here right now, you'll have to come back another time." Alec felt the need to be vague. He didn't want this guy anywhere near his Mother. The first thing he was going to do once the guy left was copy the surveillance tape and give it to Luke.

Valentine looked around for a few more minutes, pretending he was interested in the items in the store. Finally he felt he spent enough time, he took a business card from the counter and just as he was about to walk away Alec stopped him, "would you like to sign our guest book?" He pointed at the ornate book that was open and he could see lots of people had signed it.

The boy is smarter than he looks, it amused Valentine. He walked to the book, looked it over before taking a pen and scribbling his name. He smiled at the young man, turned on his heal to walk out of the shop. He headed toward his car, he would visit this shop again. He was suspicious now for some reason he always knew when in the presence of the supernatural. Valentine couldn't wait to try out the serum. He would have to remind his co-workers, he snorted to himself, who was he kidding; the loose ends that they needed to finish up the job. They would be dealt with when the time was right and then he would be able to carry out his plan of extinction of the supernatural element, and begin the process of cleansing the world.

Alec watched the strange man leave, he waited for him to disappear from eyesight, then he moved the book to face him, he grabbed his laptop and put the name in a memo, that would accompany the video. Luke would probably tell him he's paranoid or that he's letting his sister's ideas get to him. Alec finally laughed, he wouldn't be wrong but still his instincts and magic told him to beware and careful around the stranger. He put the tape together for Luke while he waited for his Mom to show up, and take over for him.

When Maryse entered the shop, and she hugged her son. The matriarch were-cat settled in to finish out the business day. Alec waited for her to be ready to take over, then gave her a kiss, packed up his things and then bolted out of the store. While she thought the behavior was odd, she let it go thinking he had a date with Magnus. Of her remaining living children, he was the most practical. It warmed her heart to see him excited.

He ran to the the sheriff's office, he tried to keep his growing fear at bay but that seemed harder than he thought it would be. Luke noticed Alec's state of duress and calmed him down. The were-cat could scent his future adopted son's fear and it bothered him. Maryse and Luke were going to take the next step and that meant committing to each other and their family. He had taken on fatherly duties with the Lightwood siblings and it seemed to work for all of them.

It didn't take long for Luke to put Alec at ease, getting the were-cat to relax took a few minutes but once he had eldest Lightwood calm, he waited for whatever it was the boy needed to tell him. Alec told Luke about the visitor, gave him a recorded copy of the surveillance and the name from the guest book. Unfortunately for Alec, the video didn't make him look like a bad guy. The name was familiar to Luke but couldn't place it but it would be easy to run a background check.

Alec left the sheriff's department feeling better, he didn't tell Luke about the college files because he felt like he was raving lunatic already with the bald guy in the shop, in the back of his mind he should have but all he needed was a father figure to tell him things would be alright. He didn't know why he felt the two things were connected but he did but without something stronger for a connection, it was all coincidental. At least he could make his sister feel better but that also meant it would encourage her to further investigate. He didn't want to fuel her but he knew she wasn't wrong either. The problem was; what do they do.

Alec and Magnus were watching a movie and they cuddled up but his cat wasn't watching anything. Alec was staring blankly. He gave affection when given and would return it but it wasn't quite right. His feline was not being his normal self and this began to make Magnus nervous.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Magnus knew something was wrong, getting his feline to open up would be the challenge. He would not push but a nudge couldn't hurt.

"It?" Alec was confused momentarily, between his thoughts and the movie, his mind wasn't in a place of coherence.

Magnus gave him a knowing look, "what is it."

"It's nothing, just school stuff." the cat shifter tried to concentrate harder on the movie. He wasn't ready to confide in his boyfriend yet. His magic told him he could but he wasn't ready.

"You sure?" Magnus had hoped he'd break through that shell, it might not be tonight but whatever he could do, he would.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I've got a test and a paper due." Alec lied, he felt bad about it but he didn't know what to do about what he knew. He finally found happiness and he wasn't sure how to protect what he wanted. He very much did want to do that, it was too important to him.

Magnus was not happy with the response, he recognized the lie. The warlock let it go and didn't show his misgivings. He showered his cat with warmth, affection and let their magic mingle to surround them in a cocoon of safety. It clearly reminded him that the gifts were needed and they would make sure it happened and soon.

** The next day at the Lightwood home.

Izzy and Alec looked through the computer files, she was convinced that there was something to fight against. There was an actual threat and they needed to take it seriously. Alec acquiesced to the situation. He didn't know what but what he did want was to protect his family and his new found love. He was finally at the point if his sister saw something, then maybe something was there.

"We gotta be smart." Alec wanted his sister to know how dangerous this situation was and they needed to be careful.

"As long as you are with me, we got this big bro." Isabelle was in a investigative zone, she knew as did her magic that something wasn't right. She couldn't let it go, they lost too much in the past. She would fight for her family, keep them safe. Izzy hugged her brother, he supported her as he always did and it meant the world to her, "thank you, I knew you didn't have to do it but you did anyway."

"I know," Alec understood her, as she did him. "Let's keep this close to the vest, we don't know who we can trust." He sighed, "we don't even know what we're looking at or what it means."

"Leave that to me, I will check it out." Izzy planned on using those rakes that Raphael gave her to search the labs that held the files. She would snoop around and use a different lab to figure things out on her own.

"I don't like it," Alec wasn't comfortable with this 'thing' she wanted to pursue.

"I'll be careful," she gave her brother her best pleading look and for some odd reason it made her brown eyes larger, "trust me." With a heavy sigh, he shook his head in agreement but then gave her some rules for safety and to keep in contact with him. She hugged him tightly. If there was anyone she could trust it would be her big brother. She took off to her room, she needed to plan.

Alec tried to come to terms with his agreement with his little sister. He would let her play it her way but if things got too rough he would intervene, she would not be harmed in anyway. His instincts kicked in too, it must be a sibling thing but he didn't want to involve anymore family members. Alec would need help and it would need to be powerful and that meant Magnus Bane. His magic told him his boyfriend was incredibly strong magically and perhaps now was the time to be honest with him about what he and Isabelle thought was going on.


	5. Chapter 5

Notes at the end of story. - - -

Magnus was prepping for his date tonight with Alec. Tonight was the night for honesty between them, admit what they were and are to each other. He planned everything out perfectly. He chose a restaurant that they both loved. He made sure there was a special bottle of wine ready for them. The table was perfect and secluded for privacy. He arrived early to finish his preparations. He had the ring box as well as the other jewelry for the cat family.

Alec arrived right on time, he noticed Magnus right away and walked briskly to the table. He leaned down to kiss his boyfriend on the cheek, then seated himself. The waiter arrived quickly with water and menus. They ordered appetizers and Magnus poured them wine from the special ordered bottle.

"Wow, this is … uh … strong." Alec didn't quite snort the wine out but his eyes crinkled at the taste.

"It's a great year, and meant to be sipped." Magnus smiled seductively.

Alec knew that leer, he received it often enough but smiled, he had never felt so wanted in his entire life and he would do nothing to change that feeling but he suspected Magnus had an agenda, "what's the occasion?"

"Oh," he sighed, "mostly to celebrate us." Magnus collected his thoughts, "but I thought we could spend time talking about us."

"Us?" Alec was confused, he thought everything was going really well between them. He tried not to over think like his sister accused him of all the time but he was lost in the meaning of Magnus' words.

Magnus noticing his boyfriend's discomfort assured him immediately, "nothing to worry that pretty head of yours over." He smiled warmly. The waiter arrived again to take their dinner orders and to check on them before leaving for the computer to input the selected dishes.

Magnus waited for their dinner to arrive, so that they wouldn't be interrupted by anyone. "Do you believe in supernatural things?"

Alec was surprised by the question and wasn't sure if he should lie or be honest. Lying felt wrong to him but he wasn't sure where the conversation was going, "what do you mean?"

"Oh you know, spells, potions, witches, warlocks, weres," Magnus paused to watch his feline then continued. "I believe in all of those things."

"You do?" Alec was surprised but tried not to show it. While he was nervous about the topic, it seemed his magic along with Magnus' was keeping him calm.

Magnus spent the next few minutes explaining his point of view about the supernatural, spending more time on weres and their connection to warlocks and witches. That some places in the country had more supernatural activity than other places.

Alec listened intently to Magnus' comments, he knew his boyfriend was magical, probably a warlock but wasn't sure if he was ready for the supernatural talk. As he was beginning to understand where the conversation was going and he wasn't sure what to do. Does he admit he is a were, would it put his family in danger. He wasn't sure, so he tried to find words but didn't say anything.

Magnus placed a hand on Alec's, if Alec took his next statement horribly, he could take the memory of the conversation away and wait for a better moment. "I'm a warlock." He waited for any reaction, for a flinch or something.

"A warlock?" Alec held firmly to Magnus' hand. "Wow, you can do magic?" Alec's smile was genuine in awe of what Magnus had stated to him. His magic told him when they started dating that Magnus was something supernatural but he had not met many warlocks and he did admit to himself it was exciting.

Magnus felt relieved, his cat didn't shy away and in fact seemed to pleased with the new information. Magnus produced a blue power ball to show Alec that what had told him was in fact the truth.

Alec's eyes lit up, "incredible." He smiled at Magnus, "I thought there was something magical about you, I could feel it." He froze at his last comment. How was he going to explain what he said, he was about to backtrack with his words when Magnus interrupted his thoughts.

Magnus swept a finger lightly down the side Alec's face in affection, they were still holding hands, "as a warlock, I know there is more to you than a student who also works in a magic and antiques shop." Magnus smiled, and stared into Alec's eyes in hopes that his cat would tell him what he already knew.

Alec blinked with surprise and then decided to confide in Magnus, "I'm a shifter, or a were, that you mentioned earlier." Alec waited a moment to give himself a taste of liquid courage via the wine they were sharing. "I turn into a cat, I have some magic too but its mostly an added sense to my cat abilities." He smiled shyly at Magnus about his confession.

Magnus thought adorable, his feline was adorable. In an effort to keep him comfortable with their discussion, "I'd love to see your cat form."

Alec laughed, it had been a long time keeping this secret and it felt good to share it with a male that he was discovering was very important to him. "You might have seen my form, I think you've been in the shop when Izzy is working. I usually sun myself when we're both working." He shrugged, he liked lazing in the sun.

"Now, that makes sense. You'd run off and then reappear." Magnus smiled, "you are adorable."

Alec flushed at the compliment and confided that his entire family shifted into cats. Magnus explained that his family were all warlocks. He presented the gifts he had for the Lightwood family. He explained that spells of protection would be good for them. The ring for him made Alec raise a brow but Magnus quickly explained it was a promise and to not over think the implication. While the warlock did intend more than a promise, scaring his boyfriend away wasn't what he planned. Magnus also magically produced a similar ring for Alec to give to him in promise. Alec accepted the defined difference in meaning and accepted the gesture for what it was, he reciprocated the intention and agreed to give the other gifts to his family. They left the restaurant walking with their arms around each other to get coffee before ending their date.

Maryse in a word was 'upset' with her eldest. How could he tell anyone about them, what they were. Alec was surprised by his mother's behavior but he wasn't going to hide from Magnus. She reminded him of the past and what they had lost, and questioned again how could he tell anyone about their natures and magic. Luke intervened on behalf of the Lightwood boy, calming her down. Luke re-informed her that Magnus had also shared a secret about what he was which included his family and it could be equally dangerous.

Maryse's argument was about what they gave up, and what they went through to start over. Her fear for her family was real to the point of almost panic. Many things went through her mind as the family discussed the situation. Should they move or stay, she didn't want to uproot her family but she couldn't lose her children, she wouldn't lose Luke either.

Maryse's eldest believed he belonged with a guy she was convinced he didn't know enough about. Alec exclaimed he did know the warlock. He trusted Magnus and his magic trusted him as well. He convinced his mother that his instincts weren't wrong. Alec would protect the family with everything he had. Luke put a hand on Alec's shoulder and nodded at Maryse. They would keep the family safe.

Luke pulled Maryse aside to talk privately, he explained to her that she needed to have faith in her son. She cried a little and reiterated that she did have faith in her son but she wouldn't be able to bare it if anything happened to him, his sister or to Luke. Once she calmed down, she hugged her son but warned him any sign of danger and they would leave. Luke pulled both of them into his arms in support.

The magical gifts did cause a rather spirited conversation, but Alec convinced the family they would be safe and that they would not be betrayed by his boyfriend or his family. Maryse and Luke accepted Alec's assurances though they were still wary, they would trust him, his magic and instincts. The magic surrounding the gifts helped alleviate some of the concern, all of the family could tell that what Alec had stated was true. All the gifts were for protection, it went a long way in feeling safe. It was later agreed that the two families should meet and spend time together, if they trusted Alec with their secrets and his, then it was time to solidify their alliance.

Isabelle Lightwood was in her cat form, she decided being smaller would be easier to not be seen. Her cat form was smaller than her brothers but the coloring was the same, sleek and black. Her eyes were brown, while his were hazel. She didn't shift often, only when she needed to do so, unlike her brother who liked to be in his shifted form. Izzy thought it was to ignore people but he was able to do that in any form. Izzy liked her human form and enjoyed interacting with humans in general.

Isabelle went to college early, knowing she could slip past anyone at the school. In general it was very quiet until morning classes began, the college came alive later in the morning with staff and students and it stayed that way until the end of classes late in the afternoon. There was some activity at night but that was usually in computer labs, libraries and food court. She knew how much time she had and quickly made her way to the science lab.

She loved the necklace her brother have given her and appreciated the protection spell it was imbued with, the best part it stayed on her no matter which form she was in. She magically hid the rakes Raphael had given her, she was to gather more evidence to confirm her suspicions. What to do with it after collecting what she was looking for would be a challenge for another day.

Being a shifter with magic allowed her to have clothing magically appear after shifting, it made things convenient, she chose a black slim fitting work out attire. She didn't want to draw any attention with any outfit too flashy or bright. She shifted back to human form to use the rakes, once inside the locked room, she looked around for anything out of the ordinary. Another reason for picking her attire was it would look like she was working out and no one would notice her, once she accomplished her task.

From the files that Alec obtained, she knew what to look for and began checking the cabinets looking for anything that referenced the terms 'the project'. Majority of the cabinets with chemicals and compounds were open, she looked for anything that might seem odd. Once she got to the back of the room there was a locked cabinet. While the words 'the project' were not on anything, the fact it was locked told her all she needed to know. If the rakes worked on the door, she thought she try them on the cabinet, to her delight it worked.

She took one sample of everything in the cabinet, making sure to choose from the back so that it wouldn't look like anything was missing. She found a notepad and wrote of list of the things she took and any other notation listed in the cabinet. Lucky for her, there was a meticulousness to the labeling of the ingredients she took and she noted that a lot of these items matched the files they had obtained. She used her phones camera for pictures, if she missed something, at least she could look at her phone for more details.

She filled a small book-bag with the items, she locked the cabinet back up, she sniffed around for any sign of a person, she cautiously left the room and locked it. She made her way out of the main laboratory and decided not to shift. A few more glances to ensure there was no one around, she ran for home. She couldn't wait to met up with Alec with her findings.

Alec was working in the store and doing his homework assignment when Isabelle walked in, her smile was bright. She literally looked like a cat who caught a canary. "Iz?"

"I found stuff big brother," she showed him the small backpack. "Lots of vials with stuff that matches the files we've got." She was pleased and added, "I took pics too."

"Okay, now what?" Alec was still skeptical but he could tell by the look on her face, she wasn't going to give up this conspiracy. "You have a plan, I hope."

Izzy rolled her eyes, "of course I do. I thought that maybe we could use the forensic lab where Luke works to figure out what all of this is and what purpose." She reached for Alec's laptop and he smacked her hand away.

"I'm using it right now, you can't take it." Alec continued his studies. He knew she was glaring at him, "What?"

"Print those files out for me, I'll need those to go with what I've found." She gave him her best little sister smile, she knew how to manipulate him. If her smile wouldn't work, she'd would threaten and he never liked that.

"No, we're not even suppose to have those files." Alec ignored her.

"I'll unplug that computer right now," she reached for the power chord.

"No! Don't do that, I'll lose everything I've been working on." Alec halted her hand. They had a staring contest of wills but she won out. Alec gave in, "alright, let me grab the USB stick, I'll send to the printer in the back." He opened his backpack, found the drive and plugged it in. Once he opened the drive he needed, he hit print all. "Okay, done. Now, leave me alone." Izzy smiled at him, kissed him on the cheek and then went to the office in the back of the store to get the files.

Luke was surprised to see Isabelle at his office, neither Lightwood sibling visited him at work. They were too busy with college and other things. He took as a sign of acceptance of his relationship with their mother and he would foster a relationship with them. "Hey Kiddo," Luke hugged Izzy.

"Hi Luke," she hugged back tightly, "can we talk somewhere in private?"

While that question made him wonder what was going on, he gestured for her to sit in front of his desk, then he got up to close the door. "Whats up?"

"I want you to look at these," she handed him the files. "And I was hoping I could use your lab to run some tests on a few things that I think are linked to those files."

"I don't know if I can get you access," at her frown "but … I have people I trust, tell me what to look for and I can have someone do the research for you."

"Can I observe?" She really wanted to be involved, it was important to her. Luke could tell from her determined face, that he'd have to compromise. Before he could say anything, she added "just say its for my classes, that its extra credit or something. Please Luke. This is important."

"Tell me whats going on," Luke was as protective as Alec, if not more so since he felt this family is his now, with his relationship advancing with Maryse, her children were important to him.

Isabelle thought about her options, she decided that Luke needed to know everything. Once she was done with her story, Luke rose from his desk to hug her. Isabelle was far to brave for her own good. He motioned for her to join him by his computer desk and showed her the video that Alec had dropped off. He convinced her to let him handle it and if anything else happened or something out of the ordinary to let him know. Luke promised to keep her and Alec informed, with that she hugged him and went home.

TBC -

Writer's notes. Apologies for re-uploading a chapter that had already posted once prior. I've decided to not change this one. And this story is only going to appear here. I'm done with negativity and rude comments at the other fanfic place. There is absolutely no reason for the behavior. None. I'll bottom line here too ... don't like, don't read. Thank you.

Nekobaghira


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